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TECH NEWS
Rumoured Tarmac SL7 via Ride AppIs this Specialized's new Tarmac SL7? Specialized's Ride app has a mystery bike preview
In a move that takes the post-cornavirus bike launch to the next level, Specialized appear to have given the cycling world a pre-launch preview of what we can only assume is the new Tarmac SL7 in their augmented reality Ride app.
We've given the app a quick go (apologies for the garden furniture) and things look to have been aero optimised at both the front and rear ends.
Borrowing from the Venge, Specialized's original aero race bike, all cables have been burrowed away into the headtube, with the new SL7 taking the cables out of the Aerofly II bar and under the stem before heading down through the headtube via special spacers.
It will be interesting to see whether Specialized has improved the ability to add and remove spacers. The current system used on the Venge requires the hydraulic hoses to be disconnected from the shifters. It's a rather involved process, often requiring a brake bleed.
The rear end appears to feature more subtle changes with a slightly increase distance from the tyre to the seattube, though we're not sure just how accurate the images on the app are. If the app images are correct, then the increased gap could be borrowed from the Shiv time trial bike which, against the wider TT bike market, has a pronounced gap in this area.
We think that Specialized has also moved over to a threaded bottom bracket, even on this top-end S-Works model. That'll be a welcome move for home mechanics as generally, threaded systems are far easier to work on at home as they require fewer tools.
As an owner of the current Venge, I see a lot of similarities between what used to be two very different bikes. Should the Tarmac be moving towards being as fast as the Venge, then it could be the end of the massively successful line of bikes. Time will tell on that front.
If you've got a smartphone then you can have a look for yourself via the Specialized Ride app. Spot something that we've missed? Let us know and give us your thoughts on what must be the new SL7 down in the comments below.
Latest Comments
- galibiervelo 21 min 40 sec ago
That is class news. Super bikes and vision. Bet there will be no stand at the Taiwan bike show next year! Big luck to all the team
- Hirsute 44 min 3 sec ago
"However, he said that by moving his head around Wilkinson, who was driving at around 20mph, could and should have been in a position to have seen...
- Destroyer666 1 hour 3 min ago
Pretty clearly stated several times in the text that the issue was not related just to his son. And besides, everybody watching the races could see...
- Rendel Harris 1 hour 19 min ago
All Fizik and Selle Italia saddles (though not all their other products) are made in Italy I believe, and their 3D printed models definitely are.
- chrisonabike 1 hour 45 min ago
If you're not on the road with a car, I bet its driver is much less likely to swerve into your space *. Because you're not "in the way"! (Any...
- mdavidford 2 hours 1 min ago
The problem with this argument, though, is that it's just not true....
- Legin 3 hours 56 min ago
The tory party will oppose anything that might restrict their tanks rolling at the next election.
- mdavidford 4 hours 26 min ago
Especially since the similarly priced Tickr X did have that functionality.
Add new comment
15 comments
Let me guess; it's lighter, stiffer, more aero, more compliant - and more expensive than the last version??
$5000usd for the SWorks. All the colour ways along with actual photos rather than renders have been on the net for a while now
Is it me, Or am I just an old grumpy, dont all these new bikes look the same, like most cars, No one really know,s the basics of who,when,where, like my c4 Picasso, Ford engine, mirrors fit Peugeot, Peugeot floor pan & running gear, Ford Mazda same thing.
When did they ever not? Strip the paint off most frames and they're indistinguishable, always have been since they were steel tubes joined with lugs
Wouldn't be surprised if the Venge goes. I bought a bottom of he range one (105 spec) for 2500 (minus hefty discounts) a few years back. Cheapest now is over 5k and that's not an s-works.
Wonder if the tarmac will have the aero bar etc on the bottom models? I'm guessing not unless they start at 4k
How are the tomato plants coming along Liam
Price per tomato currently makes them S-Works tomatoes.
Zoom in on the groupset as well - destinct ridge on the chainset....is this a new DA groupset as well?.
Specialized already told me the Venge is discontinued for 2021
That gap to the rear wheel behind the seat tube is an aerodynamic shocker, what is the point?
Don't worry there will soon be some figures and percentages to explain how it smooths airflow and reduces overall drag
Looks like what they did with the 2020 Shiv - at the time they were apparently moving away from 'aero is everything' and focussing a bit more on ride quality, weight and stiffness - something they said the new seat tube design helped with. I'm guessing that might be their thinking here as well - certainly sounds like areas you'd want to look at for a bike like the Tarmac.
The larger gap on the Shiv was actually acknowledged by them to be less aerodynamic that a tighter fit but was designed to be used with their 321 disc wheel (the combination being no less aero as a whole, allegedly). Chris Yu, from Specialized said at the time that it is for "removing the material (weight) that doesn't provide aero benefit, especially when paired with a 321 disc wheel."
Of course all this is claims by Specialized, doubt anyone else is going to be in a position to definitively argue the toss either way on the trade-off.
The headline in the Spesh app is, "one bike to rule them all," — could well mean the end of the road for the Venge.
Jolly decent of Specialized to make a single frame that does the job of both so I don't have to buy one of each, I sure hope there's no advancement to be made either way once I buy this frame
I did wonder how long it would be before the 'all rounder' bikes were close enough to the aero bikes that they replaced them, a bit like a lot of them have already done to the lightweight climbing bikes. Unless you want super lightweight, which is hampered by the uci weight limit - it's how a lot of the marketing is done after all - or super aero - again limited by the rules for tube shapes etc - then the fairly light, fairly aero all rounder makes sense.